• SiewchSeattle | 2020Traveler
    The tour began at Pioneer Square. These buildings were built atop the original city after the fire.
    The Seattle skyline as I walked from Pike's Place to Pioneer Square.Scenes from my walk from Pike Place to Pioneer Square.These gulls were lined up at an Ivar's outlet waiting to pounce on anyone who dropped food.Scenes from my walk from Pike Place to Pioneer Square.Scenes from my walk from Pike Place to Pioneer Square.Scenes from my walk from Pike Place to Pioneer Square. This building had owl statues on its facade.A bust of Chief Seattle at Pioneer Square.Scenes from my walk from Pike Place to Pioneer Square.These glass-like squares peeked out from below ground. They channeled light into the underground.This is what the skylights looked like underground.Each little prism channeled natural light from above to light up the tunnels underneath.A recreation of an underground speakeasy in the Underground City Tour.Underground City Tour.Underground City Tour.Underground City Tour.Underground City Tour.Underground City Tour.Underground City Tour.We emerged from the Underground City Tour into this square.

    Underground City Tour

    February 29, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    I took the public bus to downtown Seattle after eating breakfast with Jeff's judging friends. Arriving downtown, I briefly wandering around Pike Place before walking about a mile eastwards along the waterfront towards Pioneer Square, where I had booked a tour of Seattle's Underground City.

    In the 1880s, a big fire burned down most of Seattle's first downtown - a roughly two block area centered around Pioneer Square. Prior to that, the original city had been built on an area that had been prone to flooding, and there was no space for infrastructure such as sewers. After the fire, the city rebuilt itself one level up, and the original city went underground - literally and figuratively.

    The underground tour was fascinating. The docent regaled us with a lot of information about the history of the area, and what happened when the original city was built over. The most fascinating snippet of information for me was how skylights brought natural light into the underground. Descriptions of the activities what went underground - think speakeasies, burlesque shows, and opium dens - were also fascinating. Overall, this was a great tour and it was well worth the $20 fee.

    https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/seattle-und…

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